30.1.2010
Recently, the Education Ministry came out with a list of 20 best schools in Malaysia. No surprise for those who guessed that PFS was not it. It is all part of the flip flop policy. Perhaps it is part of the master social engineering strategy.
Before the 1980’s, each major town in Malaysia used their prestigious grammar school. I guess we have to thank the British for this. After watching Avatar, I am not so sure. Again, this is part of British’s greater agenda. In Penang, we had PFS, SXI, and BM High; in Taiping they had St Edwards; in Ipoh, it was Anderson; KL had VI and St. John’s; Seremban had St. Paul and KGV; Malacca had SFI; JB had EC and so forth. These schools had their own proud age old tradition and used to excel in academic as well as extracurricular activities. Entry into these primier schools was reserved only for the outstanding students. Students had pride donning their school colours. After the New Education Policy was set into motion, the power that be decided that the grammar school concept was outdated and was a legacy left behind by the British which was not suitable for a growing nation like Malaysia. Perhaps it was rather not in tandem with their social restricting. So they started on an integration exercise bringing in students from the rural areas to these grammar schools, reorganizing their funds and reallocating their school teachers. Special attention and loads of funds were given to the newly built residential schools which were primarily built to house bumiputra students, all in the name of NEP.
Fast forward 40 years later, now you have the same concept churned by the same jokers, albeit with different name. Special funds and attention will be given to these schools. Just that this time around, none of the original grammar schools are in the list but are replaced by mostly residential schools. (Surprise, surprise)
Flip flop No.2 is the name of the common language of most Malaysians – Bahasa Melayu à Bahasa Kebangsaan à Bahasa Malaysia à Bahasa Melayu. Before independence in the pre-Malayan Union the Malay language was written in Jawi. It was later romanized and for education purposes, there was the Bahasa Melayu for Malay medium students and Bahasa Kebangsaan for the others in schools. After 1970, there was only Bahasa Malaysia to prosper national integration. After the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1978 and the emergence of Anwar Ibrahim in Umno and the self proclaimers of defenders of the race, they decided to reclaim their stake and authority in the language. Hence, it was renamed Bahasa Melayu again till now. Like headless chickens, our education system is running around in circles aimlessly.
N.B. A few days after I wrote this piece, there was an article in the Star on this subject. Guess what, most of the points stated above were stated. Of course in a more refined manner unlike the sarcastic article of mine!
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